The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-22
THE FIRE AT BRIDGEPORT.

Additional Details of the Burning of Show
man Barnum's Winter Quarters
NEW HAVEN, Nov. 2L-The animals quarters
of Barnums circus. at Bridgeport. were burned
to the ground last night One of the watch
men, George n. Morris. making his rounds
about 10 o'clock when he discovered flames in
one corner of the building, where the horses ara
kept. He rushed around the building to alarm
other employees. when he was knocked senseless
by some with club He lay on the ground
unconscious for twenty minutes. and when he
revived half of the building and some of the
other buildings were in flames He awakened
the seepers in the building, and
rushed to aarm-box half a mile away an
pulled it, neglecting to sound the alarm from a
box located at the entrance to the grounds. This
caused DELAY of half hour in the arrival of
the fire department. When it did come it could
do nothing beyond saving the adjacent buildings
from being destroyed. In the meantime TWEEN
ty-eight elephants were turned loose. The white
elephants, Sampson and Alice, were destroyed.
The other elephants rushed about the city and
one fell on man, breaking three OF his ribs and
one leg. The old lion, which is often seen on
tho top of the chariot in the street professions.
was hauled out of the flames by his keeper,
VIM Bulkely. AS soon as he was out OF the
building the crowd attempted to kill him by
beating his head with clubs and firing shots into
him with a revolver. He secured and
placed into a pen, but broke out. and, scaling q
ten foot fence, took refuge in barn. whore he
killed sow. He vas shot while making
breakfast of fresh meat Eight men. who were
sleeping in the building, barely escaped with
their lives and who was sick was dragged
off his bed and out into the open sir. At II
o'clock most of the elephants had been corralled.
The rhinoceros was got out of the building, but
burned and cut both by getting out of the
cage and by the crowd who seemed possessed to
the building. Only the cat animals
were burned The monkeys and others
were in other 5nildinss Many an ., OF
were burned. The cries of the burning animals
were heartrending Through the flames could
be seen the tigers leopards and other cat ami
mails dashing franticaly about theIr cages, and
finally succumbing to the smoke aud flame.
The elephants rushed madly about the Streets
flashing their burned and torn sides with their
trunks, and scattering the crowds In all direc-
tons It is reported that several men were
picked up and thrown over fences and more or
loss injured. The birds were all In New York
city at Central Park. In the paint shop were
many of the handsome chariots undergoing re-
pairs. These were wheeled out as fast as posi-
BILE, but rot without injury. At IL o'clock what
had two hours before been the homo of the
wonders of the eart tn lay heap Of smolderine
RUNS, from which ascended the odor of
burning flesh. The iron cages twisted in all
ways and still incaudescent, stood out
prominently among the ruins against the
dark backs ground of the night beyond Among
the animals destroyed were four elephants
five lions seven leopards, six panthers. four
kangaroos six horses, and large number of
smaller beasts. Among the elephants burned
were Alice. Sampson and the sacred white ele-
plants One of the large elephants escaped,
and this morning found drowned in the
sound, near the lighthouse. where it had gone
in its fright. Aside from this the only animals
that escaped beyond the grounds was a large
lion, which wandered into Christopher Sickards's
barnyard, where it attacked cow and calf,
making an early breakfast of the latter. Mrs. :
Sickards undertook to drive the boast away. not
knowing reaizdg the nature of the animal
until warned by neghbor, when she made
hasty retreat The animal was shot sooD after
by one of the circus employees
Otto Mabbie an elephant trainer, by his he
roic efforts saved eighteen elephants Mr..
Bailey said this morning that $1,000 would
probably cover the loss. The lost animals and
all the paraphernalIa destroyed will be replaced
as soon possible. and last nights fire will not
interfere with next seasons show. The insur-
ance placed through Staples d Co., on the
building and property burned, is as follows:
Building. 1885, animals, $50. 000 OF the latter
amount, 81. 500 was on the elephants burned and
So. $50 on the hippopotamus. The building will
be rebuilt soon as possible. Besides the
above property destroyed were two of the larg-
est chariots, known the Neptune and Green
Tableau
The origin of the fire is still a mystery. but
the general opinion among those prominently
connected with the winter quarters is that it
was the work of an lncendiarv.